How, you may have wondered when “Pretty Girls” was first released, could the soaring(ly manufactured) talents of Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea be combined in a single song? Would said song not simply combust from that flammable combination of vocal fry and heavy bleach? And then, when you heard it, you realized it wouldn’t be the hilarious explosion of sonically offensive kitsch you expected, but rather just a middling and forgettable pop song. BUT. The video, on the other hand, which follows Azalea’s trend of making videos based on cult classics (it spoofs Earth Girls are Easy), is pretty deliciously, and memorably, tacky. Here it is, replete with all the leopard print and product placement (there’s a full interlude devoted to Samsung!) you could ever ask for:
The video has only been out for hours, and Buzzfeed has already made a listicle about its iconic moments — somehow, they were able to find 28 moments! For those who are interested in rappers with slightly less myopic beauty ideals than the “Pretty Girls” video might project, Big Dipper (with whom, according to Out, “the rap world collides with the bear community“) has an excellent new interview in Paper in honor of his new self-titled EP. In the interview, he discusses the sexuality of his work being more heavily scrutinized by audiences because he’s gay:
Whether it’s deep in a metaphor or as blatant as fucking ‘Put It In Your Mouth,’ so much of my favorite music is all about sexuality. Listen to a Lil Wayne album and count how many times he says pussy — I’m not doing anything revolutionary as far as content. It’s just because I’m gay that everyone latches onto that sexuality. That comes from both sides — straight people who get uncomfortable by the music are like, “Why do you have to talk about sucking dick so much?” And then gay people who are anxious for a gay rapper to cross over are like, “You’ll never cross over until you stop talking about sucking dick.”
And, speaking of rappers who are better/more socially conscious than Iggy Azalea, Kanye received an honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Chicago — and made fun of George W. Bush’s paintings during his speech. In news of other things that are better than Iggy Azalea’s music (we could really just start listing anything), Ireland is potentially — in two weeks — becoming the first country to legalize gay marriage by popular vote. Also superior to Iggy Azalea’s music: another trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Jessica Chastain-starring Crimson Peak has been released. And if that (or the “Pretty Girls” video) got you in a mood to be scared silly — or scared by sheer silliness — read this interview with the artist who did the covers of Goosebumps.